Ralph Paton

Ralph Paton was a good-looking, dark-eyed young man of twenty-five, well-liked in King's Abbot but a source of constant trouble for his stepfather. He was seen walking earnestly with Mrs. Ferrars the day before her death. Later, staying at the Three Boars inn, he confessed to Dr. Sheppard that he was in a serious mess, partly due to his stepfather, and revealed his secret engagement to Flora Ackroyd, fearing Roger would alter his will if he learned of it. He was chronically hard-pressed for money, always applying to Ackroyd for funds. On the night of the murder, he was seen near Fernly Park around nine-thirty and was observed by the lodge-keeper's wife passing the lodge and heading towards the house at twenty-five minutes past nine. He then disappeared from the Three Boars and has been missing since. Inspector Raglan considers him the prime suspect, and Poirot privately admits the evidence points to his guilt. Under the terms of Ackroyd's will, Ralph stands to inherit an exceedingly wealthy fortune, including Fernly Park.

Ralph Paton, a good-looking young man with dark eyes and an easy smile, was seen walking and talking earnestly with Mrs. Ferrars the day before her death. He later confessed to Dr. Sheppard at the Three Boars inn that he was in a serious mess, partly due to his stepfather, and revealed his secret engagement to Flora Ackroyd, fearing Roger would alter his will if he learned of it. On the night of the murder, he was seen by Mary Black passing the lodge and heading towards Fernly Park at twenty-five minutes past nine, after which he disappeared. Inspector Raglan considers him the murderer, believing he went wrong, a view supported by his serious money difficulties and the fact he was always applying to his stepfather for cash. Despite his chronic lack of funds, he was set to inherit the residue of Ackroyd's fortune, including Fernly Park. His whereabouts remain unknown, and the police are searching for him.

Ralph Paton, a twenty-five-year-old captain, was seen walking earnestly with Mrs. Ferrars in King's Abbot the day before her death. He was chronically hard-pressed for money, his funds slipping through his hands like water, and was always applying to his stepfather for help. He was secretly engaged to Flora Ackroyd, a fact he feared would lead Ackroyd to alter his will against him. On the night of the murder, he was seen by the lodge-keeper's wife passing the lodge and heading towards Fernly Park at twenty-five minutes past nine. He had gone out from the Three Boars inn around nine o'clock and subsequently vanished, leaving no luggage and, as far as anyone knew, no money. Inspector Raglan considered him the murderer, a suspicion fueled by his serious money difficulties and his mysterious financial situation, which suggested he might have been blackmailing Mrs. Ferrars. His whereabouts remained unknown, with the police conducting a search for the missing heir to Ackroyd's fortune.

Ralph Paton, a captain, was seen walking and talking earnestly with Mrs. Ferrars in King's Abbot the day before her death. He later confessed to Dr. Sheppard at the Three Boars inn that he was in a serious mess, partly due to his stepfather, and revealed his secret engagement to Flora Ackroyd. He feared Roger would alter his will if he learned of it. On the night of the murder, he was seen near Fernly Park around nine-thirty and was observed by the lodge-keeper's wife passing the lodge and heading towards the house at twenty-five past nine. He then disappeared from the inn, leaving no luggage and, as far as anyone knew, no money. The police, considering him the prime suspect, are now searching for him. He was believed to be in serious financial difficulties, having always applied to his stepfather for money, though it was speculated he may have been blackmailing Mrs. Ferrars as an alternative source of funds. He had a pair of black boots with him at the hotel.

Ralph Paton, a twenty-five-year-old captain, was a source of worry to his stepfather, Roger Ackroyd, due to his wild ways and chronic money troubles. He was seen walking with Mrs. Ferrars shortly before her death. Secretly engaged to Flora Ackroyd, he feared his stepfather would disinherit him if the engagement were known. On the night of Ackroyd's murder, he was staying at the Three Boars inn and went out around nine o'clock. He was seen heading towards Fernly Park at twenty-five minutes past nine, near the time of the murder, and then disappeared. He had no luggage and, as far as anyone knew, no money. Inspector Raglan considered him the prime suspect, believing he had gone wrong. Poirot later arranged for a false newspaper story to be published, claiming Ralph had been found in Liverpool, as part of his investigation.

Ralph Paton, a good-looking twenty-five-year-old captain, was well-liked in King's Abbot but had been a wild lad and a constant worry to his stepfather, Roger Ackroyd. He was chronically hard-pressed for money, which went through his hands like water, and was always applying to Ackroyd for funds. He was secretly engaged to Flora Ackroyd and, fearing his stepfather would alter his will if he learned of it, met her in the woods near Fernly. On the night of the murder, he was seen walking near the park around nine-thirty and was observed by the lodge-keeper's wife passing the lodge and heading towards the house at twenty-five past nine. He then disappeared from the Three Boars, leaving with no luggage and, as far as anyone knew, no money. Inspector Raglan considered him the murderer, and his whereabouts remained unknown, with the police searching for him. Poirot later arranged for a false newspaper paragraph stating Paton had been found and arrested in Liverpool, a ruse that was revealed during a household conference.

Ralph Paton, a good-looking twenty-five-year-old captain, was chronically hard-pressed for money, always applying to his stepfather for funds. He was well-liked in King's Abbot, but his wildness was a source of trouble. He secretly married the parlourmaid Ursula Bourne, persuading her to keep it quiet because his stepfather would disapprove. Later, he agreed to a business arrangement to marry Flora Ackroyd to have his debts paid, keeping this engagement secret from Ursula. On the night of Roger Ackroyd's murder, he was seen near Fernly Park around nine-thirty. After Ursula revealed their marriage to Ackroyd, causing a stormy interview, she met Ralph in the summerhouse, where he reproached her for ruining his prospects; they parted at twenty minutes to ten. He then disappeared from the Three Boars inn, leaving no luggage and, as far as was known, no money. Inspector Raglan considered him the prime suspect, and his whereabouts remained unknown, though Poirot later arranged a false newspaper report stating he had been found in Liverpool.

A wild lad and a continual source of worry to his stepfather Roger Ackroyd, Ralph Paton was nonetheless popular in King's Abbot. Though chronically hard-pressed for money, he was due to become an exceedingly wealthy man upon inheriting Fernly Park and shares. He was engaged to Flora Ackroyd, meeting her secretly in the woods, fearing his stepfather would alter his will if the engagement were known. Unknown to her, he was also secretly married to the parlourmaid Ursula Bourne, a union he kept hidden, imploring Ursula to remain silent to protect his financial prospects. On the night of the murder, he was seen passing the lodge towards Fernly Park at a quarter past nine, and afterward disappeared from the Three Boars inn, leaving no luggage or known funds. This, along with his money troubles, made Inspector Raglan suspect him as the murderer. His whereabouts became a mystery, later exploited by Poirot who planted a false newspaper story about his arrest. In a dramatic final reveal at Poirot's reunion, Ralph Paton stood in the doorway, having been hidden there all along.

Ralph Paton was a handsome, dark-haired twenty-five-year-old captain who was well-liked in King's Abbot but a constant worry to his wealthy stepfather, Roger Ackroyd, due to his wild ways and financial recklessness. He had secretly married the parlourmaid Ursula Bourne, but later, under pressure from his debts, he agreed to a business arrangement to become publicly engaged to Flora Ackroyd. On the night of the murder, he was seen near Fernly Park, met Ursula in the summerhouse where she revealed their marriage to Ackroyd, and then wandered the lanes with no alibi. He swore he never entered the study or saw his stepfather dead. After disappearing, he was suspected of murder, but Dr. Sheppard had hidden him in a Cranchester nursing home, from where he finally emerged to stand by his wife as Poirot prepared to reveal the true killer.